Every question from the Exercises of NCERT’s Practical Work in Geography, Chapter 1 “Introduction to Maps” (Chapter 21 on this site), in exactly the same order and wording as the book (English edition), with a full answer for each. Try answering first, then check.
1 Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below
Q. Which one of the following is essential for the network of lines and polygons to be called a map?
(a) Map Legend (b) Symbols (c) North Direction (d) Map Scale
Answer: (d) Map Scale. A simple network of lines and polygons without a scale cannot be called a map, it is only referred to as a sketch; it is the scale that lets each point on the paper correspond to the actual ground position, so scale is the one thing that turns a drawing into a map.
Q. A map bearing a scale of 1 : 4000 and larger is called:
(a) Cadastral map (b) Topographical map (c) Wall map (d) Atlas map
Answer: (a) Cadastral map. Cadastral maps are large-scale maps drawn at a scale of 1:500 to 1:4,000 to show property boundaries; topographical, wall and atlas maps are all made at scales smaller than this.
Q. Which one of the following is NOT an essential element of maps?
(a) Map Projection (b) Map Generalisation (c) Map Design (d) History of Maps
Answer: (d) History of Maps. The five essentials of map making are Scale, Map Projection, Map Generalisation, Map Design, and Map Construction and Production; the history of map making is background information about cartography, not one of these five essentials.
2 Answer the following questions in about 30 words
Q. What is map generalisation?
Answer: Map generalisation is the cartographer’s third task: selecting the information relevant to the map’s chosen theme and simplifying it as per the map’s scale and purpose, so that its content stays clear and appropriate to that purpose.
Q. Why is map design important?
Answer: Map design is important because it plans every graphic characteristic of the map, that is, the choice of symbols, their size and form, the style of lettering, the width of lines and the choice of colours and shades; only a well-designed map communicates its information clearly and effectively to the reader.
Q. What are different types of small-scale maps?
Answer: Small-scale maps are of two types: (a) Wall maps, used in classrooms or lecture halls; (b) Atlas maps, which present highly generalised physical or cultural information about large areas such as the world, continents, countries or regions.
Q. List out two major types of large-scale maps.
Answer: The two major types of large-scale maps are: (a) Cadastral maps, drawn at 1:500 to 1:4,000 for land ownership and revenue records; (b) Topographical maps, prepared by national mapping agencies (in India, the Survey of India) at 1:250,000, 1:50,000 and 1:25,000.
Q. How is a map different from a sketch?
Answer: A map is drawn carefully on the basis of scale and map projection, so that every point on the paper corresponds to the actual ground position, whereas a sketch is a simple network of lines and polygons drawn freehand, without a true scale or orientation, and is therefore not considered a map.
3 Long answer
Q. Write an explanatory account of types of maps.
Answer: Maps are classified on two main bases. (1) On the basis of scale: Large-scale maps show small areas at a large scale, and are further divided into cadastral maps (1:500 to 1:4,000, drawn to show property boundaries for revenue and ownership records, the term coming from the French word ‘cadastre’) and topographical maps (prepared as a series by national mapping agencies, in India by the Survey of India at 1:250,000, 1:50,000 and 1:25,000, showing relief, drainage, agricultural land, forest, settlements and means of communication with uniform colours and symbols). Small-scale maps show large areas, and are further divided into wall maps (drawn on large paper or a plastic base for classroom or lecture-hall use, at a scale smaller than topographical maps but larger than atlas maps) and atlas maps (very small-scale maps that present a highly generalised picture of physical or cultural features, serving as a graphic encyclopaedia of information about the world, continents, countries or regions). (2) On the basis of function: Physical maps show natural features, such as relief maps (mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus and drainage), geological maps (rock structures and mineral distribution), climatic maps (temperature, rainfall, humidity and wind) and soil maps (distribution and properties of soil types). Cultural maps show man-made features, such as political maps (administrative divisions like country, state or district), population maps (distribution, density, growth and age-sex composition), economic maps (production and distribution of crops and minerals, location of industries and trade routes) and transportation maps (roads, railway lines, railway stations and airports). Geographers, planners and other resource scientists use these maps to measure distance, direction and area, so every map’s scale and purpose together decide what kind of information it carries.
Question 1 (ii) and (iii) are direct-recall objective questions: a map at a scale of 1:4,000 or larger is a cadastral map, and the history of map making is NOT one of the five essentials of map making. Question 3’s two-basis classification (scale, and function) is the single most useful table to have ready for a long-answer question on this chapter.
1. Essential for a network of lines/polygons to be called a map (Q1-i): map scale. 2. A map at scale 1:4,000 and larger (Q1-ii): cadastral map. 3. NOT an essential of maps (Q1-iii): history of maps. 4. The two major types of large-scale maps (Q2-iv): cadastral and topographical. 5. A map versus a sketch (Q2-v): a map is based on scale and projection, a sketch is a freehand drawing without a true scale or orientation. Learn these word for word.